How the Federal Government Zoned America

Abstract

Zoning has had an unmistakable impact on the American built environment. It is very significant then that federal policy has had an impact on zoning. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has been a significant instrument for this policy. It has biased zoning toward the production of suburban development, an urban form marked by sprawling forms and the strict segregation of uses. While the FHA’s impact on racial segregation and the marketplace have been well researched, the FHA’s impact on zoning, and therefore on the vital components of urban form including the arrangement of uses and densities, has not been. Using a case study of the Los Angeles experience, this paper argues that the FHA, by offering a financing option for products much in demand, persuaded cities to adjust their zoning according to federal standards. The FHA provided a convincing case that zoning for lower-density residential uses and preserving them was the best way to accommodate the huge market of hopeful homeowners eager to acquire FHA-backed mortgages.